President Obama did the prudent thing by resisting the call of warmongers to strike Syria in retaliation for its use of chemical weapons.

Though the president claimed to have the authority as Commander In Chief to do so, he has chosen to defer to Congress. It is debatable whether he does in fact have the authority to order a peacetime strike – he once said our nation would have to be in danger of an invasion for the president to take such drastic measures.

But that isn’t the issue. The United States doesn’t always have to police the world. It is not our responsibility to punish rogue nations.

The proper course was to go through the United Nations. That body declined to order a joint military effort in Syria. England, though the debate was spirited, opted not to engage Syria with us. So have our other allies.

It all smells like a trap, and the danger signals are there.

Russia, an ally of Syria, is sending warships to the region. The Middle East is a smoldering fire waiting to ignite – Egypt is on the verge of another civil war, and Iran has been itching to engage Israel for some time now. It is as if we are getting sucked into the turmoil.

Syria is half a world away. The countries surrounding it should be outraged by the use of chemical weapons. It is those countries that need to confront Syria, and if punishment needs to be meted out, it should be done by those in immediate harm’s way – Syria’s neighbors.

Our job is to make it clear we stand with Israel, and that we won’t allow the unrest in the region to put our firmest ally in danger.

Obama is asking Congress to decide whether we should strike Syria. He is sending a more subtle message however – this is not our fight, at least not yet.